Advanced Standing and Transfer Credit

 
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For the purpose of advanced standing for all programs except Liberal Studies Master of Arts, 1 Residence Unit = 1 semester. For more information on residence units, see the Registration Categories page.

Departments reserve the right to establish degree requirements for all students in their programs. Therefore, advanced standing and transfer credit for courses taken elsewhere are decided on a case-by-case basis.

During the first semester in which a student registers, the Admissions Office submits the names of those students who were offered admission with the possibility of advanced standing to the faculty of their respective departments. After an academic review, the faculty determines whether or not to grant advanced standing, either in full (two Residence Units) or in part (up to one Residence Unit).

Students should be aware that

  • Advanced standing is granted solely by the faculty and the Dean.
  • No course that was used to satisfy any requirement for a previous degree will be accepted toward advanced standing or in transfer credit toward a Columbia degree.
  • Under no circumstances whatsoever will undergraduate level courses (at the 3000 level and below) be accepted as transfer credit for advanced standing toward a master's or doctoral degree.
  • Once granted, advanced standing will not be revoked.

Overall rules differ depending on the type of degree program (doctoral or Master's) and the source of the courses that the student offers for advanced standing. Please see the appropriate section below for policies governing your circumstance.

Doctoral Students

After an academic review of its eligible Ph.D. students in their first semester, the department or program determines whether or not to grant advanced standing, either in full (two Residence Units) or in part (up to one Residence Unit).

Students with a Master's Degree:

Ph.D. students who, upon entrance to the Graduate School, have completed the requirements either a) for an appropriate M.A. degree, conferred in another division of Columbia or by another regionally accredited institution (or the international equivalent), or b) (occasionally) for an appropriate professional degree taken at Columbia or elsewhere:

To receive full advanced standing (two Residence Units) the previous degree must be the academic equivalent of the Columbia M.A. and must be judged to be such that it advances the student by one year toward the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Usually a department accepts work for advanced standing when (1) it has contributed directly and substantially to the fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees and (2) it meets departmental standards.

Students who have been granted full advanced standing (two Residence Units) are not eligible to receive an M.A. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Departments reserve the right to establish degree requirements for all students in their programs. Therefore, such students are not necessarily exempt from all requirements demanded of M.A. candidates, although they are not eligible to receive the M.A. degree from GSAS.

Students Without a Master's Degree:

Ph.D. students who have taken graduate-level courses but have not completed an appropriate M.A. degree program or the equivalent (or an appropriate professional degree) at Columbia or elsewhere: such students may be eligible for up to one Residence Unit of advanced standing (up to 15 points) in fulfillment of the M.A. degree. Ph.D. students who are granted partial advanced standing or who are denied advanced standing receive the Master's degree upon satisfactory completion of the M.A. requirements as determined by their department or program.

Master's Students

Note: Students in a Liberal Studies Master of Arts Program should consult the Liberal Studies Master's Students section below.

Students registered in M.A. programs may request up to 15 points and one Residence Unit toward fulfillment of the requirements for an M.A. degree of 30 or more points. For an M.A. degree requiring fewer than 30 points, students may request fulfillment for up to one-half of the total points required.

All courses applied toward advanced standing must be graduate-level courses (at the 4000 level and above) that were completed at Columbia and that have not been applied toward another degree. The student's department or program determines whether the student will receive advanced standing.

No advanced standing is granted toward the Master of Arts degree for courses taken outside Columbia University.

Liberal Studies Master's Students

Note: These policies for LSMA students supersede the preceding policies listed above in the Master's Students section.

The following rule applies only to students in the LSMA programs in American Studies, East Asian Studies, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, Modern European Studies, and South Asian Studies.  It does not apply to students in the LSMA Human Rights Studies program; no advanced standing is granted to Human Rights students for courses taken outside Columbia University.

For students in the six LSMA programs listed above, up to six points of transfer credit are allowed for courses taken outside the University. The courses transferred must be graduate-level courses, have a specific relationship to the program chosen, and have been completed at the time of admission to the program.  They may not have been used toward fulfillment of requirements for another degree.  No credit is given for life experience or for correspondence courses. Transfer credit must be approved by the admissions review committee. Once students are admitted, they must complete all their remaining course work at Columbia.

In all six LSMA programs, a maximum of 12 points in courses taken at Columbia as a non-degree student in the school of Continuing Education may be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, with the approval of the admissions review committee.

Students From Other Columbia Graduate Divisions

Students who are currently registered in or who have been registered in other graduate divisions of Columbia may request full or partial advanced standing toward fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Up to 15 points and one Residence Unit may be requested toward fulfillment of the requirements for an M.A. degree of 30 or more points. For an M.A. degree requiring fewer than 30 points, students may request fulfillment for up to one-half of the total points required.

All courses must be graduate courses (4000 level and above) that have not been used to fulfill requirements for another degree. No course used to satisfy one degree may be used again in fulfillment of another degree at Columbia.

Students From Columbia Undergraduate Schools

Graduate students who hold Columbia undergraduate degrees may be granted advanced standing (up to 15 credit points and one Residence Unit) or transfer credit for courses taken in excess of the requirements for the Columbia bachelor's degree. The student must submit to the GSAS Office of Admissions a letter from the Dean of his or her undergraduate division stating that these courses are graduate courses (at the 4000 level and above) and that they have not been used to fulfill any requirement for the bachelor's degree.

Under no circumstances whatsoever will undergraduate level courses (at the 3000 level and below) be accepted as transfer credit for advanced standing toward a master's or doctoral degree.